The gift of presence is a rare and beautiful gift. To come — unguarded, undistracted — and be fully present, fully engaged with whoever we are with at that moment. Have you noticed in reading the Gospels that people enjoyed being around Jesus? They wanted to be near him — to share a meal, take a walk, have a lingering conversation. It was the gift of his presence. When you were with him, you felt he was offering you his heart. When we offer our unguarded presence, we live like Jesus. And we invite others to do the same.

Whenever we are with our friend Jan, there is always an offer and an invitation. She really wants to know how we are, what battles we’ve been facing, what God is doing in our lives. And she truly offers herself. Sometimes it’s her laughter and a wry joke. Sometimes it’s her tears from an old sorrow. She offers herself, her beauty, to us. She invites us to live above the striving of the world. She gives something of God.

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